


Corner of the World 34: Breaking Apart

by serafina20



Series: Corner of the World [37]
Category: Smallville
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-05
Updated: 2011-04-05
Packaged: 2017-10-17 15:53:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/178468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serafina20/pseuds/serafina20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes the road to forever isn't as continuous as you think.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Corner of the World 34: Breaking Apart

"Clark?" Lex's voice pierced the darkness softly, breaking through Clark's slumber.

Clark stirred. "What is it, baby?" he said groggily, half asleep. When Lex crawled into bed next to him, jerked awake, snorting. "Lex? What's wrong?"

Lex's teeth glinted in the moonlight as he smiled. Holding up his watch, he said, "It's three-fifteen. There's less than a minute left until the exact time I was born. I wanted to be here with you." He rested his head on Clark's shoulder and dangled the watch in front of them.

Clark slid his arm around Lex and held him close. They were utterly silent as the watched the second hand tick by.

Four. Three. Two. One.

"Happy birthday, Lex." Clark kissed his cheek, then lips. "How does it feel to be twenty-two?"

Lex thought about it a moment, then sighed. He rested his head in the crook of Clark's neck and said, "I feel old."

"What?" That hadn't been the answer he'd been expecting. Maybe as a joke, but Lex sounded serious.

"I feel old, Clark." He said it slowly as Clark were exceptionally stupid. Then he sighed again. "I'm twenty-two years old, an everyone treats me like I'm... forty. Or, just, older than I am. They expect me to be this adult and I'm not. Not really. I'm only twenty-two." He sighed. "Most people my age are... kids. They're still in college. They're getting laid by a different person every week-end, and cramming for tests. Their lives are full of part time jobs, and graduation, and wondering if they chose the right major and what the hell they're going to do with their degrees now. Me? I'm running my own company and trying to plan my future keeping in mind the person I want to spend the rest of my life with is still in high school."

Clark stroked his arm. "There are worse things. You could be sixteen years old and dating an old man."

"Clark!" Lex snagged a pillow. After hitting Clark in the face with it, he said, "I'm serious."

"I know you are. I'm sorry; I'll be serious." He kissed Lex's cheek again. "Are you unhappy with your life?"

"No."

"Would you rather be dating someone your age without any long term commitment plans?"

"No."

Clark adjusted his arms around Lex. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe sometimes you just need to take a break from everything and let yourself be young?"

There was a long pause.

"Lex?"

"Maybe," he said grudgingly.

He snorted softly. "Maybe," Clark scoffed. "Maybe. You work too hard. You almost never take any time off to play. And when you do take time off, you work out or... work some more. And think about it: you're not going to be twenty-two forever. You should take the time to act out now while you're still young, even if it is only for a few hours a week. No one would think badly of you."

Lex sighed and closed his eyes. His arm slid across Clark's stomach as he rolled onto his side. "I'll try. Really, I don't mean to get so wrapped up with work, it just... happens."

"Probably because you're a perfectionist."

"I just want my company to succeed."

Clark pressed his lips against Lex's forehead and held him close. "I know. And it will. But let yourself breathe sometimes, okay?"

"Okay." Lex yawned. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Now go to sleep, birthday boy."

Obediently, Lex closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, his mind ^reaching^ out to tangle in Clark's.

Clark stayed awake for a few more moments, watching Lex and monitoring his sleep. When he was convinced the melancholy had faded away, and Lex would be content with his life when he woke up again, Clark kissed him gently, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

________________________________________

_July 12,_

_All in all, Lex's birthday went well. I got him a Tangram set with a book of different shapes he can make with them and a book called 'Simple Experiments You Can Do with Materials in Your Kitchen.' He was really thrilled with that book; his eyes lit up and he got this evil little smile on his face. Inside Lex lives a little boy who wants to wreak havoc on a perfectly ordered space. So, I've given him the idea to do it in Mabel's space._

_Except he said something about doing it at the Talon. I'm going to try and dissuade him. I really don't think Lana would appreciate it. Anyway, I'm sure Mom would let us mess up the kitchen, as long as we cleaned up after._

_Actually, I gave him one other thing. The last unit we did in English was a poetry unit; I wrote him a few haiku. I neatened them up a little bit, and wrote them down on a nice piece of paper. When I gave them to him last night (when we were in Metropolis; no way I was going to give them to him in front of my parents) he read them and got all serious and loving._

_I don't think they're that good. I'll write some of them down after this; he wants me to save them for myself._

_Anyway, back to Lex's birthday. Dad made breakfast. He made blueberry waffles with whipped cream, which is Lex's favorite. I was surprised that Dad remembered, since Lex only mentioned it once and it was weeks ago, but he did._

_Lex told me later no one had ever made him a special breakfast for his birthday before. I told him that he was family now, and he deserved it._

_Mom got Lex a book of poems by John Donne. Lex was really happy she remembered; they were talking one night about poetry, and Lex told her how much he loved Donne. He said that his mom and Pamela used to read him Donne's poetry every night._

_After he opened her present, Lex got kind of awkward. He kept running his hand over his head like he wasn't sure what to do. Luckily, Mom knew, and she gave him a hug. I think it meant more to him than the book in some ways._

_Dad got Lex a pocket knife. Swiss army knife, actually. He said that everyone should have one. I told Lex that he could use it to cut himself free the next time he's kidnapped. He hit me._

_Lex had to work for part of the day, but we went to Metropolis for dinner and a movie. We stayed the night at his penthouse. Then today--this morning--we had to go to Lionel's to have breakfast. I really didn't want to go. I mean, really didn't. I... okay, I know I'm not supposed to hate people, but I hate Lionel. A lot. I hate what he did to me. I hate what he did to my Dad. I'm afraid he's going to do something to Whitney, and I'm so glad that Whitney is safe at boot camp. I don't think that even Lionel can touch him there._

_I would never, ever tell Lex or my parents this. Or anyone, because they'd hate me and think that I'm a horrible person. But sometimes I wish that Lex had let his Dad die. Or just hadn't been able to save him. Then I wouldn't have to see him anymore, or smile at him and not scream and tell him how much I hate him._

_I know I shouldn't think things like that. I know it makes me a bad person, but I can't help it. I still wake up some nights, feeling his hands on me, and smelling his breath as he leans into me._

_I don't want to think about that._

_After breakfast, we went to visit Damien. He's having surgery next week. They have to rebreak his legs to make sure they heal straight; I guess they were broken in too many places before for it to heal in one shot._

_Anyway, Lex and I went to the museum after we saw Damien. Lex knows a lot about art, and he seems to want to tell me as much as possible. I like the way he teaches things; he's a lot more interesting that most of my teachers. But that just might be because I'm in love with him._

_My haiku about Lex:_  
I go to his bed  
I don't make a sound for fear  
That I might wake from this dream 

_With a gentle touch_  
My body comes alive  
My skin is aflame 

_Lex and I are one_  
Our bodies move together  
I am filled with joy 

_I've waited for him_  
all my life not knowing that  
He's always been here 

_Lex, don't you realize_  
I feel your hesitation  
And I love you more 

_[There's more, but that's all I'm going to put in. Maybe I'll write new ones later.]_

_July 20,_

_It's too hot. I hate summer. Really hate it. I spent about a half an hour today under the hose, trying to cool off. Mom froze some fruit for me, which I'm eating now, but it's not helping all that much._

_I couldn't sleep last night. That's the tenth time since the tornado I haven't been able to. I finally took off around midnight and went running. I keep getting drawn past this one field, and I don't know why. I don't go in; the few times I thought to, I started to panic and figured that it would be better not to._

_I'm not tired, even when I go running. After I passed the field, I ran to Grandville and walked back. I took a nap around three because it was so hot, but I'm not worn like that time I ran to Arizona._

_I just wish the weather would cool down._

_Haiku:_

_The weather is too hot_  
It's too hot even to have sex  
Which means it's too hot

________________________________________

"When I hired you, you promised that--" Lex said angrily, but he broke off abruptly. "Yes, I understand that it's a castle.... Yes, I understand that castles weren't designed for elevators, but... How long? What? Can you..." Clark heard Lex sigh. "Very well. But I'll be out there today to inspect the work that you do have done. Expect me this afternoon." Lex snapped his cell phone shut. "Dammit!"

"Lex?" Clark called, exchanging a worried look with his mother. "Are you okay?"

Heel of his palm into his forehead, Lex walked into the kitchen. "I'm fine, Clark," he said tiredly. He sat at his spot at the table and listlessly poked at his eggs.

"Was that the contractor?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes, it was. He said that the refit is going to take another three to four weeks." Lex tightened his jaw. "If I'd just had them repair the damage from the tornado, it would have been done weeks ago, and I wouldn't be disrupting your life anymore, but the castle just wasn't designed to be handicap accessible. They're telling me that that entire mansion is unsafe to be in right now." He looked up at Martha, then at Jonathan. "I am truly, very sorry."

Jonathan exchanged glances with his wife before saying, "Well, these things happen, Lex. We understand."

He shook his head. "No. You're being more generous than you need to be. I'm encroaching on your hospitality."

Clark sat up, eyes wide. There was something in Lex's voice. Resolve and... something else. Something that almost sounded like resignation, as if Lex were facing the inevitable. "Lex," Clark started, "I don't think..."

"Clark," Lex cut him off. "When your parents extend their invitation to me, it was with the understanding that I would only be here a few weeks. We past that mark weeks ago, and I really should move out. I... I'll look into the bed and breakfast in town, and be out of here by tonight."

"Lex, that really isn't necessary," Jonathan said.

"No, Mr. Kent, it is. I've been here too long, and I don't want to overstay my welcome."

Jonathan shook his head. "If you were, we would let you know. But you are a model guest, Lex, and really, almost..."

"That's nice of you to say, sir," Lex interrupted, and he sounded ever so slightly condescending, which Clark knew would only anger his father. "I know you didn't want me here in the first place, though, and..."

"Friends don't turn their friends away in their time of need, Lex." Jonathan's voice was hard now, and louder. "Maybe that's not something that you understand, but...

"I'm hardly in need. I have plenty of resources, and I've been selfish not to use them. Really, I'm being incredibly rude; there are many of other places I could go."

"With strangers." Jonathan was beginning to sound really angry, and his jaw was tight. "Why would you do that to yourself when you have a perfectly nice place to stay right now?" He narrowed his eyes. "Or do you find you miss being waited on hand and foot and are just using this as an excuse to get out?"

Lex's eyes widened. "How the... how can you accuse me of that? I know that I don't do as much as you do around here, but I try to contribute. But I'm hardly ever here because of work and..."

"Lex, I wasn't suggesting..."

"I'm not just some spoiled brat prince, and I resent the implication..." Lex broke off, his face read. "Look, if you want me to compensate you, fine. Let me get my checkbook." Lex pushed his chair back hastily.

"I don't want your damn money, Lex!"

"Right! That's why you accused me of sitting around on my ass doing nothing all summer! If that's how you feel, let me pay you for your effort and..."

"God dammit Lex..."

"That's enough!" Martha shouted over the din. She rose and slammed her hand on the table; the silverware rattled loudly.

Startled, Lex and Jonathan turned to look at her, faces flushed.

"Honestly, the two of you are like children," she said. "Are you even listening to yourselves? Lex trying to kick himself out of the house, and you yelling at him to stay? What's gotten into the two of you?"

They exchanged glances and looked suddenly shamefaced.

"Sorry, Mrs. Kent," Lex finally said. "But I don't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden, Lex. You're family." She walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "And you do your share of work around here. We don't ask you to do much, because you're running your business, but what we do ask of you, you do without hesitation or complaint. In fact, Jonathan was just saying the other night how hard working you are, weren't you Jonathan?"

Staring down at his plate, Jonathan nodded. "I was. We've all been busy this summer, and I've been... impressed with how hard you apply yourself to your work. I was wrong about you."

Clark watched as Lex's ears turned red, then grinned when the color bled over to Lex's cheeks. Lex didn't often blush in front of other people, but when he did, it meant that he was incredibly pleased.

"Thank you, Mr. Kent." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry."

Jonathan glanced briefly up at Lex. "Me too. And you're welcome to stay until your home is ready."

"You're sure?"

He nodded.

Lex sighed, the tension easing out of his body. "Thank you."

Martha smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "Of course, Lex. You're welcome here anytime you need a place to stay. Now, let's finish breakfast."

They all turned back to their meal, more subdued than they had been before the fight.

 _Are you trying to get away from me?_ Clark finally asked after a few minutes had past.

_No. Living in town would be even worse than living here; at least here, we can make out in your room. In town, we couldn't even touch._

_So what was that..._

_I just freaked out, Clark. Nothing personal._

_Okay. You had me scared for a moment._ He looked across the table, meeting Lex's eyes. _I love you._

_I love you too, Clark. Finish your breakfast._

________________________________________

_July 23,  
Whitney got shipped out. He'd thought he'd get a chance to come home before he did, but they shipped him overseas instead. I'm so scared something will happen to him. He asked me to write because he says hearing from me helps him feel less disconnected from the rest of the world. I promised I would, at least every week. _

_War is stupid._  
________________________________________  
 _July 29,_

_Life sucks. Lex and I got into a fight last night. Okay, yes, it was my fault. I decided to see how far away I could be and still be able to talk to Lex telepathically. I know how tired it makes him, but I didn't plan on doing it for a long time. I just wanted to see._

_Of course I had to choose the moment he was in the middle of an important call. And after he finally ^yelled^ at me to get out, I got so flustered, I didn't close myself off very well, and I kept bleeding over onto him._

_He was pissed when he got home. I tried to apologize, but we ended up screaming at each other. And then he brought up the ship and me being an... what I am, and not 'dealing' with it, like he's some fucking broken record or something. I'm so SICK of hearing about it, and I told him. And then he told me that he was going to keep bringing it up until I finally faced it, and I said that he'd be waiting for a long time and..._

_It ended badly. I stopped talking to him and he finally stormed off. I didn't sleep all night. Again. Just like every week. I ran to this town in Nebraska. There's this diner then that I've been two about three times now. It's open all night and no one asks me any questions. They just give me coffee or soda and leave me in peace._

_Well, not last night. There's a waitress there, Bridget, and she asked why I looked so sad. I told her I got into a fight with someone I loved, and she didn't give me any advice or anything. Just looked sympathetic and stroked my hair and told me that she hoped things got better. I kind of like her. She's pretty, in a worn down, sad sort of way._

_Anyway, I got home around four thirty and slept until Dad woke me up for chores. I missed breakfast, because I couldn't face Lex. I went for a walk around town instead. I keep getting drawn out to this one field, but can't make myself go in. Every time I start to, I panic and can't breathe. It's really weird._

________________________________________

Lex chewed on his lower lip and flipped through his book. He was in an extremely bad mood. The fight he'd had with Clark still weighed heavily on his mind, and Lex really needed to make something blow up. Yes, he knew that he was being immature, but the frustration was making his stomach hurt, and a loud explosion from seemingly harmless materials was the way to go.

He just hoped the cafeteria was empty right now; he wanted to use the book Clark got him for his birthday, not waste his materials in the lab.

The fight had been insanely stupid. It has started as an argument over Clark ^talking^ to him while Lex had been at work. He hadn't meant to come down so hard, but Lex had been involved with a very important call and Clark had kept distracting him. Even after Lex had told him to shut up, Clark had kept the bond wide open.

By the time Lex had gotten home, he'd been furious. And, being stupid, like he often was when it came to relationships, he'd stormed up to the loft and started yelling at Clark.

The fight had somehow shifted from being about Clark's stunt to about Clark not facing being an alien. That was what pissed Lex off the most; he hadn't fought fairly. In the middle of an argument on one issue, Lex had dredged up a worn topic that had no bearing on what was going on.

Clark, of course, had reacted like normal. He shut down, freaked out, and refused to talk about it anymore. He insisted that he was facing things just fine, and thrown himself on his bed, giving Lex the silent treatment.

Not that Lex hadn't deserved it. He had been totally out of line.

Lex sighed and turned the page. He really should be working. There were accounts to go over, schedules to make, people to call. He could make his weekly call to Gabe to check in. The last time they'd talked, Gabe had indicated that he was very close to making a decision.

Lex only hoped that the decision would be to come back and work for Lex Corp.

The phone rang, breaking through the moody silence of the room.

"Lex Luthor."

"Lex, it's Dominic. I'm... I need your help."

Lex rubbed his forehead and bit back a sigh. Dominic sounded frantic. "What's wrong?"

"I think I've made a mistake. I... shit! I need your help."

"Dominic, take a deep breath and tell me what's going on." Lex tried to keep his voice low and calm.

Dominic inhaled and exhaled audibly before speaking again. "I've been working mostly on my computer, which I moved into Lionel's office. It's hooked up to the network, of course, and I do everything off it. But today, there was some work I needed to do on Lionel's personal computer, which is not on the network in order to keep the files safe. I logged in using Lionel's password, inserted my disk, and the computer screen went green. It blinked a few times, started snowing, and went black. Now I can't get the computer to work."

"Have you called someone in to fix it?"

"Lex, these are very important files. Secret. I don't know who to call, and I don't want to tell your father that I may have lost everything he has in his computer. He'll kill me. Literally. Only he and I--and you--know the information contained in it."

Lex swore softly. "Fine. I'll be there in an hour to see what I can do. If worst comes to worst, I'll tell Dad that I killed his computer."

He could hear Dominic's sigh of relief. "Thank you, Lex."

"Why didn't you call Damien?" Lex asked as he buzzed his secretary. "He usually knows what to do in a computer crisis."

"I, uh, couldn't." Dominic cleared his throat. "I was going to call you, but it's been a hectic day. Damien had to go to the emergency room last night. He was having trouble breathing. They released him home around noon, but he's on oxygen now and going through respiratory therapy."

Lex pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten. "These are the kinds of things I need to know, Dom. He's my assistant."

"I know. And in the future..."

"In the future you'll call," Lex interrupted, abruptly tired with the conversation. "I'll be there in an hour." Furious, Lex slammed the phone down.

Lila, his secretary, stood just inside the door. She looked startled at Lex's outburst of anger and was holding her notepad tightly against her chest.

"Sorry," Lex said sharply. "I need the helicopter prepped." The helicopter had been Lionel's birthday present to Lex; he hadn't had a chance to use it before now. "I'm going to Metropolis for the rest of the afternoon."

"Yes, sir." She made a note on her pad and left.

Still fuming at Dominic's incompetence, Lex picked up the phone and called the Kent's.  
"Kent residence," Martha answered.

"Hello, Mrs. Kent. It's Lex. I wanted to let you know I'm probably going to be coming in late tonight," Lex said, trying to keep his voice pleasant.

"Why? Has something happened?"

"I have to go to Metropolis to fix something at the main office. And then I have to see Damien, who apparently went to the hospital last night."

"You didn't know?" Martha sounded surprised.

Lex blinked. "You did?"

"Yes. Mabel told me. I sent a sympathy card and a book I thought Damien might like with her before she went to see him. We both assumed you knew."

Lex rolled his eyes; of course everyone would know before him. "No one told me. I... I need to go." Lex snapped his laptop shut and slid it and his book into his briefcase when Lila stepped back in. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good luck." She hung up.

"Thanks," Lex muttered to himself as he hung up and began gathering his belongings. "I'm going to need it."

________________________________________

"I'm very sorry, Lex, really," Dominic said for about the twentieth time.

Lex shook his head, refraining from rolling his eyes. The computer was fine. There were a few system errors, and the screen was broken, but other than that, it was functioning normally. Dominic had overreacted.

"It's fine, Dominic," he said after a moment.

"No, it's not. I panicked, and that was completely unprofessional of me."

"Yes, it was. But you don't do it often, so I'll let it slide." Lex sat at the newly repaired computer and called up Lionel's password protected files. "Do you know how to get into this?"

"No. That's the only part of the computer I've been banned from. I've been trying to get in, but with no luck."

Lex tried his father's pin number, then his own; both were wrong.

"Dominic, when was the last time you took a day off?" he asked after a moment as he continued to attempt to hack in; Dominic looked worn.

Dominic sat down. "A few months. I'm not sure. I try to take Sundays for myself, but I normally spend them with Lionel."

Lex nodded, trying his mother's name in the password field. It didn't work.

"Go home. Relax. Spend time with Damien, assure yourself he's okay. Just take it easy for a while."

"Lex, I..."

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Dominic, you need to take some time off." He looked up. "Damien was sick last night. It's stressful. And because you're stressed, you panicked when the monitor to your computer broke. You couldn't even hear that the tower was still running!"

"I swear I thought there was a virus."

"I'm not saying it wasn't an honest mistake--for a moment. But to think your computer was dead for an hour?" Lex shot Dominic a look.

Dominic rubbed his eyes. "I know, I..."

"Go home and take a nap. You need it." When Dominic didn't answer, Lex said, "That's an order."

Dominic's lips twitched. "I see." He still hesitated. "What about..."

"Things will be all right if you take a half day off. Go."

He rose and smoothed down his shirt. "Thank you. And... I'm sorry."

Lex fought back the urge to snap at Dominic. Instead, he plastered on a smile and said, "It was a mistake. You're under a lot of pressure; I understand. Take tomorrow off, too; the company will be fine."

Dominic sighed and rubbed his eyes again. "Thank you, Lex." And finally, blessedly, he left.

Lex sighed and turned back to the computer, trying to get into the files. He needed to get into them, but computer hacking wasn't really his forte. He got lucky on occasion, but only if he knew the person really well.

His mind began flashing over all the possible passwords his father might have chosen. Closing his eyes, Lex began typing; three tries and he was in.

There were two main sections: business and personal. Which, of course, directly contradicted Lionel's belief that everything was business, but Lex wasn't going to argue with his filing system. It made things easier for Lex.

The business files were fairly basic. There was a lot of juicy gossip and blackmail material in it that would be useful to Lex, but nothing earth shattering. Lex found a disk and saved all the files. Then he turned to the personal files.

He saved the files on Lionel's mistresses without looking at them; they would keep. Besides, if Dominic was right, they'd all dumped Lionel after the accident anyway.

Lionel had a lot of information about the Kents: birth dates, bank numbers, loans, doctor records, college transcripts... the works. There was also very detailed information about Clark, but only up through when he'd been taken away from the Kents. After that, the information was more general and vague. He wasn't being watched, not any more. Thank God.

There was a file on Whitney. Fuck; Lex had been hoping that Lionel would have been so caught up in his injury that he'd forgotten about the former jock. But he hadn't; all Whitney's school, doctor, and bank records were recorded, as well as weekly reports from Whitney's superior officers.

Lionel had contacts everywhere.

He saved the files and deleted them from the hard drive. He figured that Lionel would have the files somewhere else, but Lex had to do it for peace of mind.

"Dad, what the hell are you up to now?" Lex muttered. He closed up the computer and slid the disk into his pocket. Then he headed to the rest of the office to find someone competent enough to run the company until Dominic got back.

________________________________________

The back door was flung open, slamming into the wall outside. Startled, Martha turned from the sink, hand going to her throat. "Clark?"

Clark shot her a wild look and threw the pie crate onto the table. The table shook and the crate slid off and hit the floor, cracking.

"What's going on?"

"I'm not doing the Talon delivery anymore!" he said angrily.

Martha frowned and looked over him; he sounded so incredibly angry and out of control, very unlike her son.

His hair was messed and curls stuck to his sweaty, flushed face.

"You're not what?" she asked.

"I'm not doing the Talon delivery any more. I'm not going there. I'll take any other delivery you want, drive out to Grandville every day to give Mrs. Speedmann her produce even if it takes an hour both ways, but I'm not going to the Talon to give Lana her pies."

"Why not?" Martha kept her voice soft and soothing, hoping that Clark would follow her example. When he'd thrown temper tantrums as a child it had usually worked, but she hadn't needed to do it in a long time.

"Because I'm sick of it," he said, voice still loud. "I don't want to get the third degree every time I get within ten feet of Lana. Or anyone else. Why can't they all just leave me alone?"

"Clark..."

"In fact, I'm just not going to go into town until I have to. I'll stay out here until school starts."

Disbelief and curiosity flowing through her, Martha shook her head. "Clark, you can't avoid people you don't want to talk to."

"Why not? I don't want to see them, there's nothing I have to do out there, why bother?"

"Well, there is something you need to do. You have deliveries to make in town."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do, Clark," she said firmly, fighting to keep her voice even; she was starting to get angry now. "Your job is to do the town deliveries. You can't decide not to do them because you got into an argument with your friends."

"I'm not doing it."

"Yes, you are!"

"Make me!"

"Clark!" Jonathan shouted as Martha's mouth fell open in shock.

Clark's eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed even more red than they had been. For a moment, his shoulders hunched. Then he straightened and turned. "Yeah?" he asked sullenly.

"What is going on? How dare you speak to your mother like that?" Jonathan demanded.

"I'm... I'm sorry," Clark stammered. His shoulder's hunched again and he dropped his eyes. "But I'm not doing the Talon delivery anymore and you can't make me."

Jonathan glanced at Martha, who shrugged.

"Why don't you want to..."

"I just don't! Okay? Jeeze."

"Clark," Jonathan snapped. "Watch your tone. You do not speak to your mother and me like that."

"I know, but why don't you understand that I don't want to do this anymore? I'm fine with trading jobs, but I don't want to do it anymore." Clark sounded desperate, hands bunching the end of the shirt in his hands.

"That's not the point, here, Clark." Jonathan's voice was sharp and biting. "The point is that you've suddenly forgotten how to respect your mother and father."

Clark ran his hand through his hair; his bangs stuck straight up, glued with sweat. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude to you or anything, I just... why can't you understand where I'm coming from?"

Jonathan opened his mouth, but Martha shook her head sharply.

"Clark," she said instead. "Go to your room and calm down. We'll discuss everything later."

"No! We're not going discuss it later, because I'm not going to do it END OF DISCUSSION!"

And then he was gone. The door was swinging wildly, and papers were floating to the floor, but Clark was in his room. They could hear something crash, then a loud curse, and then silence.

"What the hell's gotten into him?" Jonathan demanded. He turned to the door.

"Jonathan, don't." Martha took his arm and held him back.

"Martha..."

"He's in a bad mood, and you're angry. We all need to calm down." When Jonathan looked as if he were going to argue, she squeezed his arm and said, "Give him time."

Jonathan looked perplexed. "But, Martha, he..."

"I know what he did and said. And we'll deal with it. But he needs to cool off. And so do you." She smiled wryly and wipe some sweat from her forehead. "And so do I. What's the temperature?"

Jonathan sighed and checked the thermometer hanging over the door. "About one oh three."

Martha sighed. "Want some lemonade?"

"Please."

She pulled the pitcher from the refrigerator and poured two glasses. When they sat down, she sighed and said, "At least we've gone this long without having a blow up like this. He's just stressed. And probably hot."

Jonathan nodded and rubbed his eyes wearily. "I guess I was just hoping we could skip this stage."

She smiled wryly. "Believe me, Jonathan," Martha said, patting his arm. "I did too."  
________________________________________  
It was hot. Way too fucking hot. Lex didn't know if it was a heat wave or just summer, but he was miserable. Temperatures over 103 degrees, and the air was flat and stale.

He walked into the Kents' house, feeling drained. Martha was sitting at the table in front of a fan. Her hair was swept up on top of her head, cheeks pink. There was a notebook open in front of her that she was scribbling in, and a glass of ice water next to it.

"Hi, Mrs. Kent," Lex said tiredly. He set his briefcase down and hung up his blazer, wondering why he'd even bothered to take it to work.

"Hi, Lex. There's ice water and chicken salad in the refrigerator."

"Thanks." He opened the refrigerator, lingering in front of it to bask in the cold.

Martha looked at the clock. "You're home early; it's only seven forty-five."

"Yes." Lex pulled out the bowl of chicken salad and a head of lettuce and set them on the counter. "The crisis at Luthor Corp was a broken screen. I sent Dominic home and gave him today and tomorrow off. Someone else is going to look after the company for the next few days, an call me if there are any problems. I visited with Damien for a while, then came home." He took a bite of his salad. "How are things here?"

Martha sighed and rubbed her forehead wearily. "Clark had a bad day."

His shoulders fell. "I'm sorry. I know I should have talked to him before I left for work, but... I just couldn't."

She shook her head. "I'm not blaming you, Lex. You two had a fight, and it sounded like a bad one. You locked yourself in your room, for goodness sake. I understand why you didn't go after him this morning. I was just telling you that, as days went, it was bad." Her face softened. "And it wasn't all you. It was... everything."

"Can you define everything?"

"Well, Clark took a nap after he got back from his walk. Then he did his deliveries like normal. His last delivery was to the Talon where he met up with Pete. I'm not sure what happened. I do know Lana had something to do with it." Martha shot a look at Lex and took a sip of her water. Then she told him about the fight they'd had. "And then he said, 'Make me,'" she concluded.

"You're kidding."

"No."

Lex groaned and closed his eyes.

"Oh, it gets better. Because Jonathan came in just then, so they got into a fight, which ended with Clark storming to his room."

"Ah, man. I..." He started to rise, but Martha took his arm.

"Oh, I'm not done. Because soon after he went outside--about a half an hour later, maybe--Clark came back into the house, his face bright red, and sweating buckets. When I took his temperature, it was 104.8."

"Shit," Lex breathed. "Is he all right? Does he have a fever? Is he..."

"He's fine, Lex," Martha interrupted. "He just... does this sometimes. I don't understand it. But... Clark's normal body temperature runs anywhere from 102 to 104 or so. Normally, in its higher in the winter and lower in the summer, but every once in a while, it fluctuates dramatically. We go through this every summer: we'll have a heat wave, and his temperature spikes. He's miserable and uncomfortable, and there's nothing we can do for him except try to keep him cool. He spent most of the afternoon in the bathtub, but his temperature is still high."

"Where is he now?"

"In his room."

Lex stood up and went to the refrigerator. "I'm assuming he has water."

"Yes, he does. Here; I've frozen some fruit for him. Go out and sit with him for a while; he might feel better with you there." She rose and pulled a tray from the cupboard as Lex took the fruit from the freezer.

He smiled at her. "Or he might get upset and kick me out." He put his salad on the tray.

"It's possible, but I doubt that will happen."

"I hope not. Thanks." He placed the pitcher of water on the tray as well, and left the house, heading for the barn.

"Clark?" he called when he was at the bottom of the stairs. "Can I come up?"

"Yeah," Clark called back listlessly.

Lex climbed the stairs. Clark was lying in the hammock Jonathan had dug up a few weeks ago. His shirt was off and he was flushed, dewy sweat clinging to his skin. He'd pulled a crate next to the hammock to serve as a table; on it was a bowl of melted ice, a wash rag, an empty pitcher and glass, and a book. He was holding another book and a piece of ice, which he was rubbing against his forehead. All in all, he looked miserable.

"I brought you some fruit." He walked to the crate and carefully set the tray down. Then he picked up a grape and offered it to Clark.

When Clark took it, he folded his too-hot fingers over Lex's cooler ones. "Come in with me," he said pitifully.

"I'll just make you hotter."

"I don't care. I... I need you." His lower lip trembled.

Sighing, Lex kicked off his shoes and socks. After a moment's thought, he pulled off his pants as well, followed by his shirt. When he was wearing only his boxers, he climbed carefully into the hammock until he was half draped on Clark.

"You feel nice," Clark sighed. He tugged Lex's head down to rest their foreheads together.

"You're so warm." Lex fumbled around until he found a piece of ice. Once he had it, he began smoothing it over Clark's chest and up to his cheeks.

"Too hot. I wish it were winter."

"I know." Lex kissed him. When the broke apart, Lex licked his lips and said, "Clark, I wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday."

Clark stiffened and averted his eyes. "Yeah. Me too. I shouldn't have done what I did; I'm sorry."

"No, Clark... Look at me." He pulled his forehead away. "Look at me, Clark."

After a moment, Clark did.

Lex sighed and traced Clark's cheek with his knuckles. "Look, I never should have brought up the ship and not facing being an alien yesterday. It had no place in our fight." He sighed. "I know I bring it up every time I get mad at you, and I shouldn't. It's not helping. And I don't need to mention it every time we fight."

"You don't need to mention it at all," Clark said, voice tight.

"Yes, I do. Because you're not dealing with it. And you need to. You..." Forcibly, Lex broke off what he was saying and made himself soften his voice. "But that's not relevant now. I'm sorry."

Clark nodded, but didn't say anything.

He sighed again and ran the ice over Clark's lips. "What happened today at the Talon?"

Eyes falling shut, Clark delicately touched his tongue to the ice. "Stupid Lana happened." This time his tongue slid over Lex's fingernails.

"Care to elaborate?" He leaned down and caught Clark's mouth, brushing his tongue over Clark's in a sloppy, open mouth kiss.

The ice melted between them, water trickling over their chins.

Lex pulled back first and got another ice cube. "Clark?"

Heaving a sigh, Clark arched slightly and pulled Lex more firmly onto his body. "I met up with Pete and we were talking about things. He's working on the campaign now, and he broke up with Erica 'cause he didn't have time to hang out with her. He said something to the effect that I'm the only one between him, me, and Chloe who's love life doesn't suck right now, so I told him about Sydney. And Lana overheard." His palm pressed against Lex's lower back and slid upwards slowly.

"Ah. Not good." He traced the ice cube over Clark's forehead.

"No. Way not good, because, once Pete left, she accused me of keeping secrets from her, and told me that friends don't do that, and demanded to know why I hadn't said anything. When I told her that I hadn't wanted to hurt her, and it wasn't my place to tell her, she got even madder. She said that she didn't need to be taken care of, she wasn't a little girl, and I told Pete so why not her. I just didn't know what to say, and I got so angry and upset and... overheated." He sighed. "I just don't want to deal with her anymore right now."

Lex lifted his head. "Clark, you can't hide from things. You can't pretend problems don't exist, because they're not going to go away."

Clark frowned. "So, what? I need to confront Lana?"

"Yes. Or at least don't hide from her. Pete isn't Chloe's ex-girlfriend. It's a totally different situation." Lex ran his finger over Clark's lower lip. "The two of you are friends, great. But Lana's wrong; friends don't always automatically tell each other everything. There's a limit to intimacy in every relationship. Look at us. We share a lot of our lives, but there are certain things that we keep private. That's healthy, and there's going to be a lot of that in any healthy relationship. There's a lot you can't tell Lana, simply because you have to keep your secrets to keep yourself safe. And then there are things that you aren't going to tell her because it's not your place to tell them, or you just don't feel like sharing. If Chloe wanted Lana to know about Sydney, she would have told her. It's not your job."

"That's what I thought. But Lana keeps saying things like friends share with each other, and secrets are bad and all that stuff, and I just keep getting confused." He sighed again. "I just want to scream everything at her, tell her that Whitney's gay, and I'm a freak, and Chloe's got a girlfriend and... you know. Just everything."

Lex raised an eyebrow, slowly sliding the ice down Clark's cheek and under his jaw. He held it against the throbbing vein in his neck. "You know it'd make her head explode, right?"

Clark smiled. "Yeah. I know." His eyes glinted mischievously.

"You're evil. Who are you and what have you done with my angel?"

Clark rolled his eyes. "Your angel melted, and left behind this grumpy lump of goo. If you don't like it, go away."

Laughing softly, Lex kissed Clark again and reached for another piece of ice. He was really too hot to be comfortable laying with him like this, but, at the same time, he didn't want to leave. "It's okay," he whispered, burying his face in Clark's neck to kiss and nip. "I think I'll take you any way I can."

Big, hot hands slid up Lex's spine and pulled him closer. "Good. I'll hold you to your word."

________________________________________

The ship was insane, searching for Clark. He could feel it, zooming through the night, intent of finding him. On taking him back into space, away from his home, trapped forever inside. It didn't matter that Clark didn't fit in it anymore; the ship didn't care. It would stuff him in the tiny space and take off, stealing Clark away.

He wasn't going to let that happen. He'd hide; Clark was good at hiding. When he was little, he'd been great at hide and seek, finding spots no one would think to look for him. He'd find a somewhere and be safe.

Except, there was screaming. Loud, terrible screaming.

Lex!

The ship didn't know Clark didn't sleep in his room anymore! It was taking Lex.

Feeling as if he were moving through molasses, Clark ran. He could hardly move, his legs and arms were made of lead. But he had to keep going, even though he couldn't breathe. He had to get to Lex.

Heat. Fire. Screaming. The ship had crashed in Clark's old room and the house was on fire. Clark couldn't get through, and Lex was screaming. Dying. The ship was killing him.

"No! Lex!" Clark screamed.

The world shook underneath him and he was falling and...

"Clark!" Lex yelped. There was a loud thud and Lex groaned in pain.

Breath coming in short, tight gasps, Clark forced his eyes open. He was in the loft, on the floor, Lex pinned underneath him. Above him, he could feel the hammock swinging wildly. The floor was still shaking from where he landed.

Lex's face was contorted in pain. One hand was wrapped around Clark's neck, the other pressed into his chest. "What happened?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, God, Lex, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Clark pushed himself up and started running his hands over Lex's chest and sides.

He nodded and sat up slowly. "I'm fine; just winded." He still sounded breathless and looked a little pale to Clark. "What happened?"

"I had a nightmare, " Clark said miserably. He x-rayed Lex to make sure there were no broken ribs, then ran his hands gingerly over Lex's back to check for bruises.

"Clark." Lex caught Clark's hands. "I'm fine, really." He squeezed Clark's hands. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Clark frowned and tried to grasp the scattering straws of his dream. He got a few flashes of fire, and Lex in trouble, but nothing else. "You were in trouble, and there was a fire. But I... I don't remember anything else." He sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"It happens; we sort of asked for it, falling asleep in the hammock." He glanced at it wryly, then back at Clark.

"Yeah, I guess." He sighed and pulled his hands away.

"How do you feel?"

Clark shrugged. "Icky. Sticky, hot, uncomfortable. Not as much as earlier, though."

Lex kissed him and rolled out from underneath him. "Well, the weather seems cooler at any rate." He stretched, arching his back and yawned. "It's still too warm, though."

"Yeah." Clark reached over to the crate and picked up a glass of water. "Hey; someone filled the water back up."

"And left us a note." Lex sat next to Clark and picked up the note.

Wrappings his body around Lex's, Clark read, "Dear boys, I know you both had rough days, and you seem to need each other right now. Make sure you're up in time for your chores tomorrow, Clark, and we still need to talk. Feel better, sweetie. Love, Mom."

"It's nice to be trusted," Lex said softly. He rested his head against Clark's shoulder. "It's nice to have this."

"Yeah," Clark agreed, wrapped his arms around Lex. "Even if they are going to ground me for the rest of my life."

"True." Lex kissed his shoulder. "Are you tired?"

"Not really."

"Want to go cool off somewhere?"

"Where do you have in mind?"

"Get dressed and I'll show you."

________________________________________

"Wow," Clark breathed when Lex flipped the light to the brand new outdoor pool. "This is beautiful, Lex." He looked at the overhang above the pool, admiring the mural. It depicted the sky and clouds, light bouncing lightly off them until they glowed. It looked so real, that Clark could feel himself falling into it, until he could imagine himself flying through the painting. Which, he realized, if he were floating on his back, gazing up at the mural, would be the effect.

"I'm glad you like it." Lex was undoing of his belt. He slid his slacks off his narrow hips and stepped out of them. "I started planning this in February; I hired the muralist in Gotham to do the piece with the intent of having the overhang shipped out here when it was done. And I swear that this isn't what's been holding up the construction; I had it going simultaneously, but the pool contractor finished before the rest of the house. But don't tell your Dad; I don't want him to think I've been lying to him." He folded his pants and set them on a chair.

Clark grinned and blew a kiss at Lex. "I won't tell him." He pulled off his shirt and threw it on the floor.

Lex looked at the shirt, then up at Clark. "Really, Clark..." he started, but before he could finish, Clark stripped the rest of his clothes off and ran for the pool.

He leapt in, curling his legs into his chest as he landed. The water engulfed him in a cool wave. He opened his eyes as the bubbles caressed him; he could feel his insides relax and cool as he swam to the bottom, feeling better than he had all day.

The water was disturbed violently as Lex jumped in. Clark rolled onto his back and watched as Lex's sleek body moved through the water towards him.

Clark pushed off the bottom and caught Lex. Together, they shot up to the surface.

Lex wrapped his arms around Clark's neck as their heads broke the surface. "Feel better?" he asked, his legs wrapping around Clark's waist.

"Yeah, much. I wish knew about it before; I would have come over." He sucked Lex's neck lightly.

"It was only finished yesterday; besides, there's still construction workers all around here." He moaned and arched his neck. "I thought there was a pool in town. Why didn't you go there when it got too hot for you?"

Clark flushed and ducked under the water, taking Lex with him. They both sputtered slightly when they came back up. "I don't like going there anymore. Things got too weird last year."

Lex wiped water out of his eyes. "What happened?"

"I grew. A lot and started looking like... you know. Like I do now." His face grew hot. "And people kept looking at me. Older girls. A few mothers. When I'd be in the pool, I kept getting jostled and girls kept falling into me and stuff. Whitney asked me like ten times if I was really a freshman, and if I was going out for the football team, and introducing me to cheerleaders. I felt like everyone was looking at me, so I stopped going." He could feel how red his cheeks were, and he couldn't meet Lex's eyes.

Lex put his hand on Clark's cheek. "I always wondered why you weren't involved with anyone. You're so gorgeous, I found it hard to believe that no one in this town noticed you."

"I don't want to be noticed."

"Why not?"

Clark glanced at Lex, then away again. "I've told you. First lesson I ever learned was to hide and not let anyone see how different I am. I was the only freshman who looked like me. Heck, not a lot of the older kids at the pool looked like me either, and it was embarrassing."

Lex kissed Clark's neck. "Do you find my appreciation of your body embarrassing?"

"No." He smiled slightly and ran his hand down Lex's spine.

"What about... Chloe? She thinks you're hot; does that embarrass you?"

Clark flushed hotly imagining Chloe looking at him the way Lex often did. "A little. But not as much as it did last year." He released Lex and pushed himself to the middle of the pool, treading water.

Lex swam out towards him. "Mind if I try to psychoanalyze you?"

"Go ahead."

"I think that you try to hide too much. You overextend what your parents taught you to everything. Okay, yes, I understand that if you're not ready to be noticed sexually, it can be embarrassing when it happens. Especially when your friends' moms are coming onto you. And, since you've had a rough year, so I'm not surprised that you're not rushing out to the pool this summer, no matter how hot the weather gets. But there's nothing wrong with other people being attracted to you. You're not doing anything to make them notice you."

Clark cocked his head, a thought occurring to him. "How do you know? Maybe I... secrete something." His stomach knotted as he said that, knowing he was treading dangerously close to the subject he never wanted to broach.

Lex raised an eyebrow. "I never thought of that," he admitted after a moment. He looked thoughtful. "Is it something that you..."

"No," Clark cut him off sharply. "I don't."

Lex nodded and ducked under the water. When he emerged, he said, "Fine. But remember, you brought it up." He spit out some water. "I've already said I think you overextend what your parents told you, and I mean not only with being embarrassed about your body, but about the way you deal with people too. Instead of facing Lana and telling her that although you're friends, you are not obligated to share everything with her, you want to hide. You are the master of avoidance, Clark, and you know how bad that is for you."

Clark dipped his face in the water. "I couldn't say that."

"Fine. You don't have to, but for fuck's sake, don't hide because she makes you uncomfortable. You've already isolated yourself enough this summer."

"What do you mean?"

Lex shrugged, bobbing in the water slightly. "You don't think I've noticed? You stay on the farm all the time unless Pete begs you to leave or you're doing deliveries. And I know you haven't been sleeping."

Clark started guiltily. "How did you know that?"

Lex raised an eyebrow and shot him a look.

"Oh. Right." Clark sighed. "I just didn't want to worry you."

"I get more worried when you don't talk to me, you know that. What's been going on?"

Clark shook his head. "I don't know. Not really. I'm just not in the mood for people lately. I like being on my own, unless I'm with you. I've been reading, playing on the computer, writing in my journal, and just... it's been nice. Not that I haven't enjoyed going to the movies and stuff with Pete, but I don't, like, want to hang out with him any more than I have been."

"That's fine, Clark." Lex swam closer. "It's probably a phase. Sometimes you just don't want to be around other people. Are you unhappy?"

"Not usually. When I can't sleep at night I get kind of down, but not most days I'm fine. I've been kind of, I don't know. Content."

"Where do you go when you can't sleep?"

"Running. I've run to Metropolis a few times. Or this town in Nebraska. Just around. Not too far, and not anywhere I can't get back home in a few hours."

Lex snorted. "Only you would say that running across the state line isn't far." He swam to Clark and pressed their bodies together, encouraging him back towards the shallow end of the pool. "Is there anything in particular that's keeping you up at night?"

The ship flashed through Clark's mind and he flushed. "No," he lied, looking into Lex's eyes.

Lex frowned as if sensing Clark's lie. Which he may have been; the bond wasn't open, but Clark could still ^sense^ Lex over it, and knew that Lex could sense him as well.

"Clark..." Lex started, but Clark pulled Lex to him and kissed him deeply.

"Just stuff," he whispered. "Fears, worries. Stuff that always keeps me up, but instead of tossing and turning, I go running." He kissed Lex again.

Lex moaned in his throat and wrapped his arms around Clark's neck. His fingers threaded into Clark's hair, holding him tightly. "You'd tell me if something were going on with you, right? If something happened?"

"Yeah," Clark breathed, kissing down Lex's jaw, lapping the chlorinated skin. He released Lex's body so he could tug his boxers off, embarrassed that he'd worn them in; Lex had dove in naked.

"I was wondering when those would come off," Lex murmured. His hand slid up Clark's chest and captured his nipple between his fingers.

Clark flushed and nipped Lex's earlobe. "I've never been skinny dipping before," he admitted. He tasted a spot behind Lex's ear, eliciting a loud groan from Lex.

"Clark Kent's never been skinny dipping? Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you know I'm a mama's boy who always follows the rules?"

Lex just laughed softly.

Clark's hands slid down Lex's slick back until he was gripping Lex's ass. He pulled Lex to him and began backing to the side of the pool. "It's not like there's all that may places to swim around here. I could never go in Crater Lake, and no way was I swimming naked in the public pool. Besides, my parents kept a close eye on me." He bumped into the side of the pool.

Lex released his shoulders and grabbed the edge. "I've been dying to get you in here ever since they finished," he said, voice slightly breathy from his arousal. He wrapped his legs around Clark, bringing their cocks in contact. "It needs to be... christened before... before I open it to anyone else."

"Ah." Clark tightened his fingers on Lex's ass and ground their cocks together harder. "Are we going to do this for the whole house?"

"Oh, God, I want to. Clark..." Lex lowered his head to rest against Clark's shoulder. "In me?"

"What do you want?" Clark rasped; his legs were shaking from supporting both him and Lex, and he pressed himself harder into the side of the pool.

"Fingers, cock, anything. Just inside."

Clark slid his finger inside Lex, adding another one a moment later. Lex moaned happily, his cheeks flushing pink. Moving in, Clark captured Lex's mouth and kissed him deeply. Their tongues lightly danced around each other, sliding in and around, brushing sensitive nerve endings until, once again, Clark felt as if his head were about to explode. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, just in case, even though he knew he was being stupid. The heat was all in his mind.

Except it was in his body, and his mouth, and his cock rubbing against Lex's body, and in Lex, as his fingers probed Lex deeper.

He found Lex prostate and pressed against it.

Immediately, Lex's body bucked and he tore his mouth away, crying out hoarsely.

"Feel good?" Clark asked. He bit his lip and slid another finger inside Lex, scissoring them carefully.

Lex just whimpered. He rested his forehead against Clark's shoulder and reached underneath the water. His hand found Clark's cock; he took hold of it and his own, holding them tightly together.

Clark's eyes fluttered shut at the pressure. It felt as if Lex were trying to meld them until their cocks were one huge, throbbing cock instead of two. He thrust into Lex's fist, the water allowing them to slid slowly over one another.

Wrapping his legs around Clark tighter, Lex began to move his hips. One hand clutched Clark's neck tightly for support, the other held their cocks, which slid in and out of his hand smoothly. Each time he thrust, he tightened himself around Clark's fingers.

"Ah, Lex," Clark gasped. He began fucking Lex with his fingers, matching the rhythm set by Lex's hips. After brushing past Lex's prostate again and earning a loud moan and squeeze around his cock, Clark slid another finger in.

Lex bit his lip and let a strangled groan sound. It bounced off the sides of the pool and disappeared into the night air.

 _What would you sound like in the indoor pool?_ Clark asked wildly, imagining the echo.

Lex grunted and ran his thumb over the heads of their cocks. He pressed hard into the sensitive skin, sending warm waves through both of them.

Clark ^opened^ himself. Lex's sensory net appeared in his mind. The diamond-like jewel in the center of Lex's web was glowing brightly and Clark wanted nothing more than to consume it. To absorb Lex and his essence and his center all at once.

He bit Lex's ear hard, then trailed down until he was sucking at the juncture of Lex's neck and shoulder. He worried the spot with his teeth, needing to mark Lex, to see physical evidence of this night. To claim Lex.

Lex was groaning and speaking brokenly, not making much sense. Trying to push Lex over the edge, now almost totally unconcerned about his own pleasure, Clark slid another finger into Lex, ^reaching^ physically and mentally for Lex's center.

Lex arched his back, screaming loudly as Clark spread his fingers, opening Lex's passage. At the same time, Clark began ^worming^ his way into the bright jewel in the center of the web, seeping in through the cracks, spreading himself over it.

"Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck... Clark!" Lex wailed, body shuddering. His passage was spasaming around Clark's fingers which were fucking him hard, bumping into his prostate brutally, pushing him, spreading him. Opening Lex until he was wide and raw.

Tendrils of pleasure/pain began curling in Clark's belly, borrowed from Lex. Clark hesitated a moment, ^checking^ Lex for discomfort or fear, but Lex was fine. Better than fine. Lex was nonverbal and trembling uncontrollably, straining for his orgasm.

Clark smiled a tad wickedly. Hefting Lex higher, he released his hold on Lex's body, trusting Lex to stay up. His hand reached down to where their cocks were pushed together.

He took a deep breath. Pooling all his concentration together, Clark slid his hand underneath Lex's balls to his perineum. He pressed against it hard. At the same time, he thrust his fingers into Lex, slamming into his prostate, and ^plunged^ into the bright core of Lex's sensory net.

Lex flew apart. His body bucked, eyes going wide. He couldn't even scream, but his mouth fell open as he came, cock spurting underneath the water.

Clark was caught in the backwash of pleasure. It crashed over him until he was submerged in it, a roaring in his ears, black over his eyes. He smashed into the side of the pool, legs giving out under him. He came a moment after Lex, making sure to keep hold of Lex's limp body so he didn't sink under.

"Holy... holy fuck, Clark," Lex gasped. His breath was wheezy and harsh, his body still shuddering.

Clark smiled lazily, feeling heavy and sated. He pushed away from the side of the wall, still holding Lex. "Yeah."

Lex smiled and kissed Clark sloppily. He felt boneless in Clark's arms and, in fact, slid from his grasp, sliding down Clark's body until he was underneath the water. He stayed underneath a moment, rubbing himself around Clark's legs before emerging once more. His smile was brilliant. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah, I do." Clark ducked under water. "Can I move in here?"

"To my house or the pool?"

"Either. Both."

Lex's face turned serious. "My home is your home. Always."

Clark met Lex's eyes, allowing the solemnity of the moment wash over him. "You are my home, Lex."

Lex's ears turned bright pink and he swam back to Clark. "Same for me, Clark," he whispered, kissing Clark almost desperately. "It's the same for me."

________________________________________

 _July 30,_  
You were my best friend  
And then, much to my surprise,  
You became my home. 

_I'm grounded. I still have to do the Talon delivery, plus extra chores on the farm and at home. I'm not too upset. I know I was way out of line with what I said to Mom and Dad yesterday. I was just so hot and frustrated by everything, I exploded. Stupid of me, but Mom seems to understand. I apologized to her and Dad this morning. Luckily, Lex and I got back here before they woke up, or I would have been in big trouble. Lex too._

_He took me out for coffee this morning, before he went to work. It was for a few reasons. One was to make sure I didn't stop going into town. And then he said that we should get Lana's schedule so I could make the delivery when she's not there. It was nice. We were still in a sort of post-coital stupor. You know, glowing._

_I think, though, I might have done something stupid last night. When I was playing in Lex's sensory net, I sort of... I don't know. Pulled him inside me? Got inside him? Whatever happen, I can still feel him. But not like normal. It's... he's in this space inside me, right above my stomach. Underneath where my ribs come together. It's like he's just sitting there, inside me._

_He's content right now. I don't know what he's doing; if I reached out, I could find out. But this connection thing is only emotions. States of being._

_I wonder if it'll be permanent._

_July 31,_

_I had another nightmare last night. It was definitely about the ship. I think I dreamed it killed Lex._

_I wonder where it is, but I don't want to find it._

_August 1,_

_I had another nightmare. Same thing. I went for a walk after. I didn't even feel like running._

_August 2,  
Didn't sleep. I felt restless all day yesterday, just kind of wandering around, not sure what to do. I cleared up half the property and did all the chores dad needed me to do in about a half an hour. Then I just sort of... walked. I couldn't even settle down enough to read._

_August 3,_

_Last night's nightmare was so bad, I woke Lex. He came rushing into my room, totally freaked out. I didn't tell him what it was about, but I think he knew. I think he's been monitoring me. He pushed me to talk about it, but I wouldn't. I distracted him by giving him a massage. We ended up falling asleep on the rug._

_He's not going to let it go. I just know it._

_August 4,_

_Mom confronted me last night about the nightmares. I told her it was just the normal stuff. She said that Lex said I was dreaming about the ship. I brushed her off and said it didn't matter; the gist of the dream was Lex getting hurt. That was all._

_Lex tried to talk to me about it too. I told him to mind his own damn business. He didn't like that._

_August 5,_

_Lex and I went to Metropolis today. We went to the science museum and shopping. He wanted to get me a suit because he's planning on taking me to the opera later this year. We ended up getting matching suits._

_He tried to get me to talk about my "issues" a few times over dinner, but I kept avoiding it. Why can't he understand this isn't something I can just deal with? I don't understand why I should have to. Being what I am doesn't define me, right? And as long as I don't think about why I have my abilities, I'm fine. Different. Alone, but fine._

_That's the problem. He wants me to be alone forever. Not with... not totally, of course, because I have him, but I'll never belong anywhere. Ever. Not that I do exactly now, but I can fake it. If I try hard enough, I forget what I am, and it all goes away. I don't have to hate myself for a while._

_Why does he keep pushing?_  
________________________________________

The phone rang. So engrossed in his book, Clark didn't really hear it.

"Clark!" Martha called from the back of the house.

"Yeah?" Clark called back, not looking up from his book.

"Phone!"

"Oh. Okay." He reached over and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hey, Clark!" Chloe's bubbly voice greeted him. "How are you?"

Clark blinked in surprise and smiled. "Hey. I'm pretty good. How are things in Metropolis?"

"Wonderful. I'm learning so much out here. Next year's Torch is going to be totally fantastic. You are going to write for it, right?"

Clark sighed. It was only the second week of August and Chloe was already planning the school year. It figured. "Sure, Chloe. I guess."

"No, you will," she corrected. "I'll turn you into a star reporter yet."

He rolled his eyes. "So, how's Sydney?"

"Great." Chloe's voice lowered like she was embarrassed. "We, uh, went shopping the other day and got matching necklaces. It's so stupid, I know..."

"No," Clark said. "I think it sounds kind of sweet." He cleared his throat. "Look, I should probably tell you, Lana found out about you and Sydney. I didn't tell her, but she overheard me telling Pete."

Chloe sighed. "How did she take it?"

"Uh, on a scale of one to ten, about a seven. Ten being badly, of course. She sort of did this freak out thing, all upset that you had a girlfriend and nobody told her. I got the brunt of the freak out."

"I'm really sorry, Clark. I didn't mean..."

"It's not your fault," he assured her. "You're moving on; it's cool. I just didn't expect her to be so upset."

"Well, she wanted to get back together," Chloe said softly. "It's one of the reason's I never told her I even met Sydney."

Clark's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "She what?"

"Before I left for the summer, Lana asked if there was any chance for us. I said I wasn't sure, and not now. I mean, I was already into Sydney, and confused about Lana and..."

"It's okay, Chloe," Clark soothed. She sounded very defensive, as if she wasn't sure she'd done the right thing. "I understand. You went through a lot, and I think that you need a relationship with someone like Sydney right now. You both seem to be at the same place."

Chloe was silent a moment before answering, "Yeah. That's how it feels."

There was a long silence between them. Clark found his bookmark and slid it into the book. Then he set it onto the crate next to his hammock.

"So," he finally said. "Do you know if you're coming back?"

"Uh, yeah, Clark. Didn't you hear what I said about the Torch?"

Which, of course, he had, but he hadn't quite made the connection between what she had said and what it meant.

He lit up, feeling as if a huge burden had been lifted from him. His best friend was coming home, and he, Pete, and Chloe could all go back to being like it was before.

"Great! I didn't know; Lex didn't say anything."

"Well, he's been calling my dad every week to keep him updated on what's going on. Last night, Dad and I sat down to have a talk about what's best for us. He pointed out that Lincoln High, which is the school I'd probably be going too, is a good school with a pretty good journalism program. But, honestly, I don't think I'm going to learn all that much more there than I do in Smallville. I definitely wouldn't get to run the paper myself. So, I might take a few community college courses in journalism over the winter break to supplement my knowledge, since we only have an advisor and not an actual journalism class." She took a deep breath. "And, you know, Smallville's my home. It's where all my friends live, so it's where I want to be. And I can totally tell that Dad wants to be part owner of the plant he manages, instead of just being one of many workers in a huge corporation. So, he called Lex this morning."

"You, me, and Pete definitely have to do something to celebrate when you come home."

"Want to do a monster movie marathon some week-end? That is, if you can pry yourself away from Lex."

Clark smiled and blushed. "Yeah, that sounds great. It'll be just like old times."

"The three musketeers ride again. I can't wait."

"Me neither."

________________________________________

_August 11,_

_Major nightmare last night. When Lex got into my room, he said that it had to stop. That I couldn't live like this anymore. When I asked him what I was supposed to do, he told me that he didn't know. But I had to stop denying what I was._

_Same old thing. I told him to get out and I didn't want to talk to him anymore. I was so upset from then nightmare, I was shaking._

_He didn't leave, though. He just pulled me into his arms and held me until the shaking went away._

_I could feel how tense he was. How tightly wound; it's like a coil in my stomach. If I could face this for him, I could. But it's so hard, and I don't want to lose myself. I don't want to be an alien; I just want to be me._  
________________________________________

Lex stood in the middle of the Kent's storm cellar, feeling cold. It was about one hundred degrees outside, and even the air in the dark cellar was warm and stale. Lex had his sleeves pushed up over his elbows and a fine sheen of sweat coated his entire body, and yet he was so cold, he was shivering.

The ship was gone. It wasn't there. It was supposed to be in the storm cellar, and it wasn't. It was gone. Gone.

Lex had been so good. He'd known for so long now and even though he'd been dying to see the ship, see final proof of Clark's heritage and be a part of it, he hadn't gone near the cellar. He'd looked at it. Walked over to it. Stood outside it looking down at the closed doors, longing to throw them open, but he hadn't. Because he'd wanted Clark to take him. He'd wanted Clark to show him, to accept the ship and Lex and everything.

So he'd waited patiently until things had gotten too out of control. He'd entered the cellar for Clark's own good, hoping that maybe there was something he could find to help Clark that the Kents had somehow missed.

And it was gone.

The inhaler was out of his pocket and in his mouth before Lex even thought about it. An old habit that would never die, he supposed. He hadn't had a panic attack all summer, and yet, out of habit, the inhaler went everywhere with him, slipped into his pocket, the refills into his briefcase. In case on an emergency.

Just like this one.

Nixon.

The name floated through Lex's panic fogged brain, strangely making his panic ease slightly.

Nixon had been in the storm cellar. He had to have been here; why else would Jonathan have chased him during the storm? Where else would Jonathan had been, but in the storm cellar where he'd found Nixon... Nixon what? Moving the ship? Driving away with the ship? No. Because the ship wouldn't have fit into his car.

What had happened? Where was the ship?

"Lex?"

The pain and betrayal in Clark's voice, in his being, sliced through Lex so keenly he practically doubled over. He caught himself before he did, and slipped his inhaler into his pocket. Then, taking a deep breath, he turned to face Clark.

Clark had just reached the bottom step of the stairs, looking wide eyed and hurt. "What are you doing down here?" he asked hoarsely.

"I came to see the ship. You've been dreaming about it for weeks, Clark. You're not sleeping, and I'm worried about you. I thought that I could find a way to help, that maybe I could see a way to open the ship or... or something that would help you."

"The ship isn't going to help me, Lex!"

"Obviously not. It's gone! How long has it been gone?"

"What does it matter?"

"It matters because you haven't been sleeping! You're worried and anxious about it whether you admit it or not. When did the fucking ship disappear?"

Clark screwed up his face. "During the tornado. Mom said that Nixon had the octagonal disk. He stuck it in the ship and it started. After Dad chased Nixon into the storm, the ship flew away. And I don't know and don't care where it's gone!"

"Are you insane?" Lex exploded. "What is someone finds it? What if they trace it back to you? What if..."

"They won't!"

"How do you know, Clark?" Lex grabbed Clark's arm, holding it tightly. "How do you know that someone--the military, government, anyone--won't show up and take you away? What if... what if your body chemistry or make-up shares something with the ship; they'll trace it back to Smallville and maybe back to you."

Clark began to shake. He pulled away from Lex and went to the wall. "You shouldn't have come down here without asking. If I wanted you to know, I would have told you."

"Don't change the subject."

"This is the subject!" Clark yelled, slamming his palms into the wall. He turned. "You don't trust me."

Lex blinked. "Of course I trust you. What..."

"Then why are you down here?"

"I told you: to see if the ship could help. To see if there was anything I could do to make you stop hurting."

Clark's eyes flashed. "There is. Stop pushing me."

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Yelling wasn't getting them anywhere; he had to get Clark to listen to him.

When he stopped shaking, Lex took another deep breath and let go of his anger. "I'm sorry, Clark," he said, voice low and even. "But I can't. You need to be pushed before you fall apart from stress."

Shaking his head, Clark turned away and hid his face against the wall. "I was fine before. Before finding out I what I was, I was fine. Happy, even. Not perfectly, no. I was lonely and an outcast and a huge geek. But I was normal. And then I... I found out where I came from and about the ship. It's been with me, on my mind, like this huge weight for months. For all year. And, yes, when I first knew the ship was gone, I was freaked. I don't want to be taken away. I don't want to be experimented on."

"Did you look for it at all?"

Clark shook his head again. "No. I wouldn't have the first clue where to look. I mean, maybe it's halfway to where I came from, or... or maybe I wasn't supposed to land here, you know? Maybe it's going where I was supposed to go, and now the rest of my... of the race I came from will come for me to take me away."

Lex stepped closer to Clark. "I thought you said you were the only one left."

"I could be wrong," Clark said, sob in his voice. "And, anyway, even if it didn't go back to space, I don't know where to look. So, I started enjoying that it was gone. Because now I can just forget."

"Forget what?"

"What I am." It was a whisper, so faint Lex almost missed it. But he ^felt^ it in his body, and tears rose to his eyes at the pain behind the words.

He crossed the storm cellar until he was pressed against Clark, arms wrapped around his waist, cheek resting on the broad back. "What you are, Clark, is a beautiful, wonderful miracle who..."

"No!" In a sudden movement, Clark threw Lex off him.

Unprepared--not that he really could ever be prepared against such awesome strength--Lex flew across the cellar. He slammed into the opposite wall with enough force to knock the air from his lungs, and crumpled to the ground, stunned.

Distantly, he heard Clark's gasp of shock. He could feel the vibrations in the ground as Clark ran to him, and gathered him into his arm. "I'm sorry," he whispered, rocking Lex. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Oh, Lex, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

The world swam around him. Lex inhaled slowly and raised his arms so they were around Clark's neck. He felt as if something were lodged in his throat, so he cleared it. Pain lanced through his head, but he managed to say, "It's okay."

"No, it's not." Clark was near tears; big drops were glittering in his eyes above the lashes. "I hurt you."

Lex touched Clark's cheek gently. "I'll live." He cleared his throat again, the panic from subsiding slightly. His head cleared and pain flowed away; he really wasn't hurt, just shocked. "Clark, you aren't happy. You're not forgetting. You're more anxious than I've ever seen you."

"Give me time."

"No. You don't need time. You need your ship back. It used to calm you, remember? When you let it, you said it could calm you down."

Clark closed his eyes and shook his head. "I don't want it to. I only want you."

Cupping Clark's cheek now, Lex said, "I'm only one part of your life, Clark. One part of your soul. You need to learn to accept the other, and the ship... well, your ship represents that."

"No," Clark whispered.

"Clark, you can't live like this."

"I can't live any other way! I can't be an alien, Lex. I refuse to be that alone! I don't want this!" He was crying now, tears streaming down his cheeks. He pulled away from Lex and sat on the floor, swiping at his eyes viciously.

"Like anyone wants any of the challenges life throws at them," Lex shot at him angrily. "Do you think I was happy being born the way I was? A genius to a father who can't love me in any recognizable way? Do you think I appreciated it when I lost my hair and was sent to boarding school to deal with boys born to wealth that stretched back hundreds of years? Who had pedigrees and looks and stations? Do you think I enjoyed that? For Christ's sake, I was so different I couldn't even hide: bald, new money, and smarter than all of them put together. Do you think I wanted that? And what about Pete? Do you think he wants to be the youngest of a prominent Smallville family? Or Lana? Do you think she asked for her parents to be killed? Or Chloe? Or your parents? Or..."

"I get it!" Clark interrupted fiercely. "Everyone has their crosses to bear. But none of them are like mine."

"No, they're not," Lex conceded. "But they're all real to us. They're all big deals to us. And all of us have found ways to deal with our problems."'

"I have a way to deal with mine!"

"No you don't! Ignoring the problem, pretending it doesn't exist, and burying it beneath lies that you tell to yourself is not dealing with it." Lex ran the heel of his hand over his forehead, feeling a headache threaten. "You need to work it out within yourself, Clark. Find a way to come to terms with who you are. Find some fucking joy in it, for Christ's sake."

"Joy?" Clark's voice was full of disbelief.

Lex looked up at him. "Yes. Joy. Fuck, Clark. You have amazing abilities. People would kill to have what you have. Take some... pride in what you can do. Enjoy it. Find fun in it. Something. Don't treat your abilities like... like burdens. Or, worse, tools."

He frowned. "How is using them like tools worse than burdens?"

"Because, Clark. You use your powers to save people. To save me. You found out about your invulnerability saving me. And you hate that you're invulnerable. Not that you want to die, but you'd like to be normal. So there you are, saving me, saving Lana, saving Chloe and your parents and friends from danger using your abilities. And all the while, you wish those abilities didn't exist. How long before you start hating us, Clark? Before you start hating me for pulling you into Kiptin, or floating with you after sex?"

Looking slightly ill, Clark shook his head. "Never."

He snorted. "Never? For the rest of our lives, I'm going to be a constant reminder to you that you're not normal. That you're an alien. If you can't accept that, and if you keep hating the parts of you that remind you that you're an alien, it's inevitable. You'll always need me, but you'll loathe me." He inhaled sharply, the reality of what he was saying settling over him painfully.

"So, you just want me to accept being what I am so I don't hate you?"

"No, Clark. I want you to be happy. I want you to be at peace with yourself."

"Lex," Clark breathed. He moved back into Lex's space, pulling Lex to him. "I could never hate you. Ever. And... and I can be fine with it. I can pretend. Really, I can. " He slid his hands up Lex's back. "When I'm with you, I can forget. I can hide, and all of it's unreal. It doesn't matter. I could never hate you. Ever."

Lex closed his eyes and held Clark close. "Clark," he whispered, "you can't use me to forget. You can't use me to hide. I...." There was a heavy pain in Lex's chest, one that hurt so badly, it was almost like it was happening to someone else. But it wasn't; it was happening to him, and with a jolt of horror, Lex knew what he had to do. Had to do for Clark and... and had to do for himself.

Tears flooded his eyes and he sniffed, trying to hold them back. "Oh, God, Clark," Lex whispered.

"No," Clark whimpered. His arms came around Lex, vice-like, and the tears began flowing in earnest. "No, no, no, please. Don't..."

Lex swallowed hard, his fingers twining in Clark's hair. "I have to. I have to be strong enough to do this for both of us."

"No. We can work this together, really. I..."

"We've tried, Clark," Lex said. "I've tried. I've pushed and pulled back, and questioned and tried to help you, and we're still where we were when I first found out you were an alien. I can't help you if you won't let me, and... and if I'm with you, you're going to fight me. Besides, you have to... you have to be able to stand on your own. You have to be able to be content with who you are and not have it connected to me. Clark..." Lex swallowed hard against the sudden lump. He didn't know what to do. Had no fucking clue. If Clark could just separate Lex and being an alien, maybe things would get better, but...

Clark squeezed him tighter. "I love you, Lex. Let me be with you, please."

Lex pulled his head away. "And let you bury yourself in me?" he demanded. "Let you continue to play being human, and tell yourself that your abilities are fine, they're not really you, they're just helpful because they let you protect me? No. I can't! I... I want to be with someone who doesn't hate himself. I..." His voice broke. "I want to be with you. But I can't if I let you hide from yourself. I'm not strong enough, and it's not... If I let you do this, if I let you go through life hating yourself, you're going to hate me one day, too. Because you're always going to associate me with being an alien, and I can't stand the thought of you hating me."

He pulled Lex back into him, burying his face in Lex's neck. "I'll never hate you."

"How do you know?"

"I don't hate myself. I just want to be normal."

Lex squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his head into the side of Clark's. "You are normal, Clark," he whispered. "I'm sure you're a perfectly normal member of your species. But you aren't human and you never will be. Human normal doesn't apply to you, why can't you see that?"

Clark didn't answer, but his body shook as he began crying.

"I don't want to hurt you. I don't. But I'm not helping right now. I'm letting you be stagnant and unhappy. And I can't live with that. Not when there's something I can do."

"What are you going to do?"

Lex swallowed hard and pulled back. Tugging Clark's head up so he could look into the watery eyes, he said, "I think we need to back off for a while. Close down the bond. Take some time away to... soul search. We both need to, Clark. You to figure out who you are, and I need... I need to do the same. To think. I can't think right now, not with you so close."

"Think about what?"

Lex wiped Clark's tears away, feeling his own clog his sinuses. "Think about me, what I want out of life. Where and how you fit in. Think about how I'm going to help you deal with this. Because I will, I swear. But I can't if I'm so intimately tied into you."

Clark's lower lip trembled. "Are we breaking up?"

"No, angel. Not... not exactly. But you know we can't be together right now. Just... for a while."

Clark broke down. "You promised you wouldn't leave me. You said you would always be there."

Tears began to creep into the corner of Lex's eyes and he gathered Clark back into his arms. "I will. Always. And I'm not going anywhere. But, for a little while, we need to walk... parallel paths instead of the same one. It's the same destination, I swear, but we've got to get there different ways. It's the best thing for us, Clark, I swear. And... I'll be here for you if you need me. I want you to be there for me. But not as lovers. Not right now."

"I'll still feel you," Clark sobbed. "You're inside me now. Right here." He pulled back and pressed his hand in the center of his body, just above his stomach. "You don't go away, even if you're closed off."

Lex looked up at Clark, who was slightly blurry, and down at Clark's hand. He placed his hand over Clark's. "How long has it been like this?"

"A few weeks. I think I did something. I didn't mean to, but I'm not sorry."

He closed his eyes, releasing a stream of tears. "Neither am I. But... we still need to pull apart. Up here." He touched his forehead then Clark's.

"But Lex..."

"Do you understand why I need to do this?" Lex asked, anguished.

Clark pulled Lex to him. "I hear your words. I sort of understand. But I don't want to."

"Me neither. But sometimes we have to do what's necessary, no matter what we want to do." Lex ^opened^ his mind and flooded Clark, sending his love, his sorrow, and his everlasting commitment to Clark.

 _I love you, Lex. Now and always,_ Clark said, trying to ^pull^ Lex into him and ^hold^ him.

Lex nodded and mentally ^kissed^ Clark. And then, he ^pulled^ away. With closed eyes, he imagine huge, metal doors, impenetrable, rising over his mind, his heart, and soul.

And then, Clark disappeared.

Empty and alone, Lex opened his eyes. He was unable to fight back his tears, and he could feel his throat close up, and tasted salt in the back of his tongue. He kissed Clark gently. Then, as Clark raised his hands to hold him, Lex pulled away and rose.

Clark was crying, tears streaming down his face. He looked up at Lex pleadingly, begging Lex not to do this. Please.

Lex steeled his heart. It was for the best, to help Clark. To help them.

"Piek ric, Clark. Monako," Lex whispered. Then he turned and left.


End file.
